Tour de France Daily – Andre Griepel takes first career Tour de France victory

Today's stage: Long hilly stage with a sure bunch sprint at the end considering the downhill finish

Who won the stage? Andre Griepel (Omega-Pharma Lotto) shockingly beat Mark Cavendish (HTC-High Road) to win his first career Tour de France stage. It was also vindication for him. Last year Griepel and Cavendish were teammates who disliked each other and Cavendish famously said Griepel could only win “little shit races” when Grieple complained of not getting opportunities in the bigger races.

What matters in the GC race? Nothing much changed. Over half of the race was dropped from the peloton but none were GC contenders. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) continues to lead over Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank). Among the favorites, Cadel Evans (BMC) who is third overall is the leader as he has been from the start of the race with the Schleck brothers (Leopard-Trek) next. Also, Andreas Kloden (Radioshck) did take the start though teammate Yaroslav Popovich did not leaving Kloden with just five teammates to help him.

What matters in the other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): Philippe Gilbert (Omega-Pharma Lotto) scored more points today but lost ground to JJ Rojas (Movistar) and Cavendish by deferring to teammate Griepel at the finish.

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) finished the stage after his horrible crash on Sunday. He very well may not finish the race and there is no way he holds the jersey once the high mountains begin considering his lack of pedigree as a climber and his injuries. Yellow jersey Voeckler is second and the only rider even close to Hoogerland right now.

White Jersey (best young rider): Still no changes as Robert Gesink (Rabobank) continues to lead and feel better after his early race crash.

Biggest surprise: Other than Griepel winning the stage over Cavendish, the late attack by Gilbert and Voeckler was shocking. Late in the stage, those two attacked and briefly got a gap on the peloton. Considering the yellow jersey and green jersey are pretty much never allowed in any sort of breakaway, it was surprising to see them go together as attackers and even more surprising for them to get a gap of any sort considering their status in the race right now.

Biggest disappointment: We had another breakaway is doomed stage. I'm all for sprints, some of the time, but the sheer number of non-sprint stages along with the new green jersey competition has also had the effect of killing breakaways even more than normal.

Other items of note: Two more riders dropped out of the race today. The aformentioned Popovich came down with a high fever in addition to his earlier crash injuries while Alexander Kolobnev (Katusha) was ejected for doping after being caught with a banned diuretic in his system... Today's finish in Carmaux was the first there in Tour de France history... There was an early crash including a few riders, but there were no serious injuries and nobody abandoned during the stage.

What is coming tomorrow? Flat stage (there are a couple of categorized climbs though the cat 3 is early and late one is a cat 4). Bunch sprint (Only way breakaway stays away is a crash). One last time before we reach the high mountains in the Pyrenees and the beginning of the real GC race.

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Tour de France Daily – Crashes Mar Stage 9

Today's Stage: Considering there were no high mountains, a day with eight categorized climbs is a beast of a day.

Who won the stage: Luis Leon Sanchez (Rabobank) won from the breakaway today as they took advantage of chaos throughout the day.

What matters in the GC race? Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) finally surrendered the yellow jersey after his weakened team was unable to chase down the breakaway. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) was driving the break that Sanchez won from and took the yellow jersey for the second time in his career. He took the yellow jersey for the first time since his 10-day run in it in 2004. Sanchez moved into second overall while Cadel Evans (BMC) dropped to third. Among the contenders for overall victory, Evans remains the leader over Frank and Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek). Also, a big crash took fifth last year Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega-Pharma Lotto) and fringe contender and stage hunter Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) among others out of the race with broken bones. Andreas Kloden (Radioshack) was also involved in the crash and is in the hospital now as well after finishing the stage. He is eight overall.

What matters in the other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): Philippe Gilbert took advantage of the sprint check being after three cat 2 climbs and then scored more points on the finish while the other contenders all took goose eggs today. JJ Rojas (Movistar) remains second and Mark Cavendish (HTC-High Road) is still third.

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) regained the polka dot jersey from Tejay van Garderen (HTC-High Road). Voeckler is now second and van Garderen still third despite no points today.

White Jersey (best young rider): Robert Gesink (Rabobank) still leads and he seemed to improve as the day went on after being dropped early.

Biggest Surprise: The breakaway got that much time. They won by 4 minutes after Garmin-Cervelo couldn't reel in the breakaway in part because David Zabriskie crashed out of the race was unable to lead the chase like he has all week.

Biggest Disappointment: Normally the crash that took out the overall contenders would be here but the later crash that took out 40% of the breakaway has clinched this spot in the final race review.

Flecha Crash - Tour de France stage 9 by cyclingvids

To recap, Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) and Hoogerland were taken out by a French television car eliminating them from the breakaway. They dropped all the way back to the final sprinters grupetto but finished the stage.

Other items of note: In the crashes, other riders were lost but there is no official list yet. I will have it tomorrow on the rest day... Gilbert's Omega-Pharma Lotto team is down to six men, but with van den Broeck out they will no longer have a GC attempt to deal with meaning the whole team should be behind Gilbert's green jersey quest

What is coming tomorrow? Rest day tomorrow followed by a probable sprint on Tuesday. There are climbs but none above cat 3 and the finish is downhill.

Tour de France Daily – Hushovd Retains Yellow Jersey as Breakaway Finally Succeeds

Today's stage: The first mountains with a cat 2 and the steep cat 3 (it was a cat 2 last time it was in the race) climb to Super Besse

Who won the stage: Rui Costa (Movistar) got in the opening break early on and was the only survivor to win the stage. Finally a day of non-doomed breakaway riding.

What matters in the GC race? Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) somehow kept the yellow jersey after the favorites marked each other and Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) cooked himself further up the road. Among the favorites remaining, only Robert Gesink (Rabobank) lost time at the end today.

What matters in other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): Philippe Gilbert (Omega-Pharma Lotto) took the green back from JJ Rojas (Movistar) with a second place finish atop Super Besse. Mark Cavendish (HTC-High Road) did not contest the intermediate sprint with nine men having taken points in the breakaway in front of him.

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Tejay van Garderen (HTC-High Road) was in the breakaway and was first over the big cat 2 climb of the day to take five points and the KoM leads.

White Jersey (best young rider): Despite his time loss, Gesink retained his white jersey leading Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) by 59 seconds.

Biggest surprise: Hushovd, easily. There was no way he was supposed to keep his jersey today with the two steep climbs at the end.

Biggest disappointment: The GC riders marked each other. Only Cadel Evans (BMC) seemed to try an attack among the GC guys. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) and Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) never really attacked wholeheartedly (there was a token Contador attack).

Other items of note: Chris Horner (Radio Shack) did not start today, as expected, after his huge crash yesterday... Gilbert was the only real green jersey contender involved in the final goings at Super-Besse. All the others finished in the grupetto about 18 minutes back

What is coming tomorrow? A miserable day of climbing. Eight categorized climbs means the KoM contenders will really show themselves, especially with the bigger cat 2 climbs early before the peloton will have interest in reeling in the breakaway. The finish is on a cat 4 hill. This looks like a Gilbert stage.

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Tour de France Daily – Pancake Flat Stage Shockingly Remakes Overall Contender List

Today's stage: Flat as a pancake stage that was expected to end in a bunch sprint did, but with a hughe crash splitting the field along the way.

Who won the stage: Mark Cavendish (UK, HTC-High Road) took the bunch sprint after his lead out trains set him up beautifully. For those who want an example of an incredible lead out, watch the final 10 km of this stage.

What matters in the GC race? Let's start with the current standings. Thor Hushovd (Norway, Garmin-Cervelo) retained the yellow jersey for one more day. Cadel Evans (Australia, BMC Racing) stayed in second and is the leader among the GC contenders. The big GC news of the day is the huge crash 38km from the finish. 6^th overall Bradley Wiggins (UK, Team Sky) who finished 4^th two years ago crashed entirely out of the race with a broken collarbone. In the ensuing chaos, podium contenders Levi Leipheimer (USA, Radioshack), Chris Horner (USA, Radioshack), Ryder Hesjedal (Canada, Garmin-Cervelo) and Alexander Vinokourov (Kazakhstan, Astana) were held up with all of Team Sky and many others ultimately losing 3 minutes to the front group.

What matters in other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): JJ Rojas (Spain, Movistar) regained the green jersey over Philippe Gilbert (Belgium, Omega-Pharma Lotto). Cavendish by taking both bunch sprints today moved into 3^rd, and withing striking distance of the leaders.

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): There were no categorized climbs today and therefore Johnny Hoogerland (Netherlands,Vaconsoleil) kept his jersey. Tomorrow will bring the first check of real contenders here.

White Jersey (best young rider): Former leader Geraint Thomas (UK, Team Sky) and second place Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway, Team Sky) were both caught behind their teammate Wiggins' crash. Pre-race favorite in this competition Robert Gesink (Netherlands, Rabobank) assumed the lead.

Biggest surprise: Gilbert yielded in the sprint (and also some points in the green jersey competition) to teammate Andre Greipel (Germany, Omega-Pharma Lotto). Greipel finished 2^nd on the stage.

Biggest disappointment: The big crash eliminating some of the GC contenders. Wiggins had been in incredible form winning the Criterium du Dauphine and the British time trial and road race national championships in the last month. Leipheimer had also been in good form winning the Tour de Suisse and while he is still in the race, he now trails by over four minutes.

Other items of note: Tom Boonen (Belgium, Quick Step), a former five time stage and green jersey winner, finally gave up after his injuries suffered two days ago, continuing a nightmare tour for Quick Step... Horner is at the hospital having his injuries from the Wiggins crash evaluated... The breakaway was most certainly doomed on a stage this flat – FDJ got two men in a four man break, a sure sign nobody else really cared to try.

What is coming tomorrow? MOUNTAINS!!! Well, kind of. Medium mountain stage. We have two cat 4 climbs, the first cat 2 of the race and a hilltop finish at Super Besse, a cat 3. The last time the Tour visited Super Besse, the disgraced Riccardo Ricco won before later being thrown out of the tour. The King of the Mountains competition will likely start coming into focus for the first time with the climbs. Also, a GC contender should take the yellow jersey for the first time as Hushovd is unlikely to retain the lead with the climbs. Finally, a breakaway might actually have a chance to succeed for the first time this Tour.

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Tour de France Daily – Boasson Hagen Take First Career TDF Stage

Today's stage: Long hilly stage that ended in a limited bunch sprint with some of the bigger name sprinters not in the mix at the end

Who won the stage? Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway, Team Sky) took the sprint at the end beating Matt Goss (Australia, HTC-High Road) and Yellow Jersey Thor Hushovd (Norway, Garmin-Cervelo).

What matters in the GC race? Among the contenders, Levi Leipheimer (USA, Radio Shack) surrendered over a minute today, likely ending his chances as teammates and co-leaders Andreas Kloden (Germany) and Chris Horner (USA) are his equal in the mountains and will be the protected riders. The other favorites remain where they were (all finished in the bunch and Hushovd retained his yellow jersey for another day.

What matters in the other competitions?
Green Jersey (best sprinter): JJ Rojas (Spain, Team Movistar) was relegated and lost his intermediate sprint points yesterday. That gave former race leader Philippe Gilbert (Belgium, Omega-Pharma Lotto) the green jersey today that he retained over Rojas by a very slim margin.
Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Johnny Hoogerland (Netherlands, Vacansoleil) took the Pola Dot jersey after claiming points in the daily breakaway for the second time this week. Once again though, we still don't know the real contenders here until we hit some bigger mountains.
White Jersey (best young rider): No changes here as Geraint Thomas (UK, Team Sky) leads and Robert Gesink (Netherlands, Rabobank) is an overwhelming favorite. Gesink has struggled at times since crashing yesterday though.

Biggest surprise: Boasson Hagen outsprinted his competition to take the stage. He seems like a younger version of Hushovd, right down to the Norweigian nationality.


Biggest disappointment: Mark Cavendish (UK, HTC-High Road) and Tyler Farrar (USA, Garmin-Cervelo) were dropped from the lead group and were unable to contest the sprint. Too bad as they are the two best sprinters in the world.

Other items of note: We had two more riders drop out of the race today. Ivan Velasco (Spain, Euskatel) didn't take the start as expected after a big crash late in yesterday's stage. Vasil Kiryienka (Belarus, Movistar) finished outside the time limit... Cavendish did take the top points for the field at the intermediate sprint check quite easily with a great lead out from his team

What is coming tomorrow? Bunch sprint. Flat as a pancake stage with the intermediate sprint just 25.5 km from the finish the breakaway should be caught before then for maximum points to be available.

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Tour de France Daily – Cavendish Gets Win number One of the 2011 Tour

Today's stage: A flat stage with heavy cross and tail winds, narrow roads and a bunch sprint finish

Who won the stage? Mark Cavendish (UK, HTC-Highroad) won his first stage of this year's tour upping his career total to 16 in a bunch sprint.

What matters in the GC race? Other than a few crashes (see other items of note), nothing of import. The GC was unchanged with the bunch sprint and Thor Hushovd (Norway, Garmin-G

What matters in the other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): JJ Rojas (Spain, Movistar) took 3^rd on the stage to retin his lead. Considering he is one of the better climbers among Green Jersey contenders

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Evans retained his mountain lead with only one cat 4 climb on today's course. The contenders still haven't revealed themselves here though tomorrow is the first real opportunity with three minor climbs on the stage.

White Jersey (best young rider): Geraint Thomas (UK, Team Sky) still leads and likely will continue to until at least Saturday's stage 8 to Super Besse.

Biggest surprise: Thomas Voeckler (France, Europcar) nearly got an attacking breakaway to stick. Voeckler's attack from 25 km out is an example of why the peloton doesn't like to catch the daily breakaway until the last 10 to 15 km.

Biggest disappointment: Crashfest 2011 overtook to race today. Nobody except the leading Garmin-Cervelo team was safe.

Other items of note: We had our second and third abandons of the race as Jani Brajkovic (Slovenia, Radio Shack) crashed hard and was forced to abandon the race and Christophe Kern (France, Europcar) gave up due to pain from knee tendinitis... Overall contenders Bradley Wiggins (UK, Team Sky), Robert Gesink (Netherlands, Rabobank) and Alberto Contador (Spain, Saxo Bank-Sungard). Big sprinter Tom Boonen (Belgium, Quick Step) had a large crash today as well and fought to make the time cut while bleeding out of his hip and leg... Nikki Sorenson (Denmark, Saxo Bank-Sungard) also crashed and the motorcycle driver who caused it was fired live on the race radio on Norwegian television.

What is coming tomorrow? Another probable bunch sprint, but there are three climbs out there (two Cat 3's and a Cat 4). Shouldn't be a major shakeup at all barring disaster for either favorites or leader Hushovd.

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Tour de France Daily – Thor Hushovd Retains the Race Lead over Stage Winner Cadel Evans

Today's stage: A mostly flat stage raced in ugly weather with a short steep climb up the Mur-de-Bretagne.

Contador (L) celebrates what appears to be a win though Evans (R) took the stage in a photo finish. (AP/Christophe Ena)

Who won the stage? Cadel Evans (Australia, BMC Racing) survived the final climb and outsprinted Alberto Contador (Spain, Saxo Bank-Sungard) at the end.

What matters in the GC race? Thor Hushovd (Norway, Garmin-Cervelo) retained his yellow jersey finishing in the same time as Evans and Contador. Among the favorites, nothing major happened. Evans is still the top placed among the leaders and is second overall. A few of the other favorites lost 6-8 seconds to Evans and Contador, but nothing major as long as that doesn't become a habit in this race.

What matters in the other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): Spanish National Road Race Champion JJ Rojas (Movistar) retained his green jersey. Evans is second (though not a threat in this competition as the bunch sprint stages coming will see him go backwards) and stage 1 winner Philippe Gilbert (Belgium, Omega-Pharma Lotto) is third.

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Evans took the lead in this competition and will wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow. The real contenders haven't shown themselves yet in this competition, especially with new rules limiting the amount of points available on lesser climbs.

White Jersey (best young rider): Geraint Thomas (UK, Team Sky) still leads while returning winner Robert Gesink (Netherlands, Rabobank) lurks a few second behind him.

Biggest surprise: Hushovd retains the yellow jersey. Everyone (including possibly Thor himself) expected the yellow jersey to change hands today. Now there is a good chance, with three probable bunch sprints upcoming, that Hushovd will lead until Saturday's stage in the Massif Central.

Biggest disappointment: The Schlecks did nothing. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg, Leopard-Trek) is supposed to be one of the main contenders, but his whole season has been underwhelming and he lost 6 seconds finishing in the second group today. Meanwhile Frank Schleck (Luxembourg, Leopard-Trek) finished with the first group but did so quietly when an attack could have put Contador in some danger.

Other items of note: Contador seemed to overcook himself when he attacked on the climb, but got a second wind and nearly outsprinted Evans for the stage win... We had our first abandon today as Jurgen Van de Walle (Belgium, Omega-Pharma Lotto) left the race, likely due to the effect of lingering injuries from his stage 1 crash... Tyler Farrar (USA, Garmin-Cervelo) took the bunch intermediate sprint...

What is coming tomorrow? Long, mostly flat stage that will end in a bunch sprint, no matter what the breakaway does. With Hushovd holding the yellow jersey instead of a GC contender, the breakaway chance of staying away as Garmin-Cervelo will want to keep the yellow jersey as long as possible.

Tour de France Daily – Tyler Farrar uses Yellow Jersey Lead Out to take Bunch Sprint

Today's stage: Flat as a pancake stage designed for a bunch sprint unless something went decidedly wrong.

Who won the stage? Tyler Farrar (USA, Garmin-Cervelo) took the bunch sprint over the rest of the peloton and has now won at least one stage in all three Grand Tours.

What matters in the GC race? Nothing at all. This was a sprinter day and was only going to be affected by crashes that never occurred.

What matters in the other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): JJ Rojas (Spain, Movistar) placed highly in both the intermediate sprint and the stage to take the Green Jersey from Philippe Gilbert (Belgium, Omega-Pharma Lotto). Farrar is second and Gilbert fell to fourth.

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Gilbert retains his jersey here and he will actually wear it tomorrow. With a category 3 climb tomorrow seemingly built for Gilbert, he could hold this category again.

White Jersey (best young rider): Geraint Thomas (UK, Team Sky) retained his slim lead over Robert Gesink (Netherlands, Rabobank) and scores of others.

Biggest surprise: It is still a jarring sight to watch the yellow jersey (and when he's not in yellow the rainbow world champion jersey) of Thor Hushovd perform the lead out though it was quite effective on this day.

Biggest disappointment: The HTC lead out train collapsed under pressure as it went to the front at a blistering pace too early and couldn't hold up robbing us fans of a sprint showdown between the Farrar and Cavendish, the two best sprinters in the world.

Other items of note: Cavendish did take the intermediate sprint for the points behind the five breakaway guys...The breakaway was just for tv time for the sponsors. There was no chance of breakaway survival for victory on this stage.

What is coming tomorrow? Mostly flat until a category 3 finish where the last 3km rule doesn't apply. The stage seems tailor made for Gilbert, again. He is an overwhelming favorite tomorrow just as he was when he won stage 1. White jersey Geraint Thomas and 3^rd overall Cadel Evans (Australia, BMC Racing) are also solid threats to win tomorrow and a win by either would likely put them in the race lead. In the GC fight, there will likely be movement of a few seconds here and there, but nothing major like the first two stages unless there are crashes.

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Tour de France Daily – Garmin-Cervelo Wins Team Time Trial and Takes Yellow Jersey too

Today's stage: Short Team Time Trial to shake the overall standings up some.

Who won the stage? The Garmin-Cervelo team finally got the monkey off their backs and won a tour stage after four years of trying. The win was Garmin's first Tour de France stage win.

What matters in the GC race? In the current standings, Thor Hushovd (Norway, Garmin-Cervelo) took the yellow jersey and race lead from Philippe Gilbert (Belgium, Omega-Pharma Lotto) though he is no threat to take the overall victory. In the final overall race, Cadel Evans (Australia, BMC Racing) is tops in 3^rd place. The other news is the fate of Jurgen van den Brock (Belgium, Omega-Pharma Lotto), Alberto Contador (Spain, Saxo Bank-Sungard) and Samuel Sanchez (Spain, Euskatel). All lost time today with van den Brock dropping about a minute (along with Gilbert), Contador losing another 20 seconds (hampered by starting first and having no time checks to go off of) and Sanchez losing another minute in addition to yesterday's time with Contador because of his awful time-trialing squad (last place on the stage).

What matters in the other competitions?

Green Jersey (best sprinter): Gilbert retains his lead in this competition and will wear the green jersey tomorrow.

Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains): Gilbert also leads this competition as the only man with any mountain points. It will revert to the second in points for tomorrow meaning Evans will switch today's green jersey for tomorrow's polka dot jersey.

White Jersey (best young rider): Geraint Thomas (United Kingdom, Team Sky) retained his white jersey though overwhelming favorite Robert Gesink (Netherlands, Rabobank) is only 8” behind

Biggest surprise: Garmin rode such a good time trial. I know Garmin is supposed to be good at the discipline, but they were bad yesterday and many of their top guys didn't look ready to race. To come back and win today is a shock despite their favored status.

Biggest disappointment: Bernhard Eisel (Germany, HTC-Highroad) crashed on the first corner robbing HTC of a chance to win the stage. Without the stage, it is likely HTC would have overcome Garmin behind ace time-trialist Tony Martin (Germany).

Other items of note: Eisel did make it under the time limit losing nearly six minutes after his crash today. No other crashes along the way so everyone remains in the race.

What is coming tomorrow? Flat as a pancake stage. Only a category 4 climb topping out at a meager 66m in elevation is on the docket. Other than that, its bunch sprint time. Expect Mark Cavendish (United Kingdom, HTC-Highroad), Tyler Farrar (United States, Garmin-Cervelo) and Ben Swift (United Kingdom, Team Sky) to contest the victory along with the other sprinters.

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Tour de France Daily – Gilbert opens his Tour de France account as leaders favorite are caught behind split

Today's stage: A mostly flat stage ending with a category 4 climb finish. Enough to eliminate many of the pure sprinters allowing the classics guys to have a win.

Who won the stage? Philippe Gilbert of Belgium and the Omega-Pharma Lotto team continued his season long rampage attacking on the final climb and overtaking Fabian Cancellara (Switerland, Leopard-Trek) and holding off Cadel Evans (Australia, BMC) at the line.

What matters in the GC race? Cadel Evans has surged into the possible favorite role as defending champ and Giro d'Italia winner Alberto Contador (Spain, Saxo Bank-Sungard) and second place the last two years Andy Schleck (Luxembourg, Leopard-Trek) were caught behind a split in the field caused by a late crash along with some of the other race favorites. Evans and his group leads Contador and Schleck by 1'20”.

Biggest surprise: So many people were caught up behind the crashes. Contador has made similar mistakes in the first week of the tour previously, but not for this much time. Schleck can't afford to lose time like he did considering he is, at best, an average time-trialist. Other favorites also saw their hopes end. Most notably fourth last year Samuel Sanchez (Spain, Euskatel) who is with the Contador group on time and has a team time-trial that his team is awful in tomorrow to bury him in the standings.

Biggest disappointment: The fan who caused the crash. He simply stood too close to the road, caught an Astana rider and permanently changed this race. The fans need to know to keep a safe distance, especially on the flatter surfaces where speeds are higher.

Other items of note: The new green jersey competition introduced this year had the desired effect of people racing for sprint points behind the breakaway. Tyler Farrar (USA, Garmin-Cervelo) led the field there...Gilbert now leads all three major competitions (Overall, Points and Mountains). He is no threat for the overall, but the points jersey is a possibility if he can take any from the mountain stages.

What is coming tomorrow? Team Time Trial! This discipline is incredible to watch and also has the potential for comedy and ridiculousness if the team isn't in sync. It also could help or further hurt some of the race favorites.

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Giro d'Italia Final – Contador wins easily, podium unchanged over final week

Contador celebrates his victory atop the podium.

With today's time-trial, Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) sealed overall victory in the Giro d'Italia by finishing third. His final margin of over six minutes in one of the largest in the history of the race. Second place was Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) while third was Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale).

Stages over the final three days: Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) was gifted his first career victory on stage 19 by Contador. Tiralongo had spent the last two seasons working for Contador and was repaid in kind by his former teammate who didn't attack for the stage victory on the final climb though he easily could have.

On stage 20, Vasil Kiryienka (Movistar) was in the early breakaway of the day and then attacked from the break on the second to last climb of the day. He ended up winning the stage by over four minutes over Jose Rujano (Androni-Giacatolli) and Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) who got away from Contador and the other contenders on the final climb to Sestriere. The win was especially emotional for Kiryienka, who dedicated the win to teammate Xavier Tondo. Tondo was killed last week in a household accident.

With the climbing done, the time-trialists took center stage for the final day (instead of the processional stage ending in a sprint that occurs at the Tour de France). Former pink jersey David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) took the stage after Contador pulled up to celebrate his overall win in the final kilometer. Even had he not pulled up, Contador may not have been good enough to beat Millar's time though he likely would have finished second on the stage instead of third.

Final GC matters: Nibali beat Scarponi on the stage, but did not pull back enough time to move to second place on the podium. Notoriously bad time-trialists John Gadret (Ag2r-La Mondiale) and Joaquim Rodriguez did enough to hold their positions while Roman Kreuziger (Astana) moved up to sixth overall, his best ever Grand Tour finish.

Kiriyienka climbs Sestriere. the climb is famous for hosting

Lance Armstrong's famous attack in the 1999 Tour de France

and Paolo Salvodelli's last ditch climb to seal the 2005 Giro.

Photo courtesy of Cycling Central

Biggest surprises (stages): Tiralongo being in the final group on his stage win qualifies as a huge surprise given he has been a domestique for his entire career and had never actually won a race of any type, let alone a Grand Tour stage. Kiryienka's margin of victory on stage 20 also was a huge surprise given the way this race had treated most breakaways (even the ones that got away lost most of their advantages once the climbs started).

Biggest surprises (entire race): Other teams were willing to work with Contador through the whole race. It seemed as though Contador was regularly left with few or no teammates and then he had teammates on the road in other colors. No doubt Contador was the best man in this race, but the helpers he had thoughout the race widened the margin over Scarponi and Nibali that much more.

Biggest disappointments (stages): Contador didn't take a stage. A dominant race winner should win a stage on the final weekend if there is either climbing or a time-trial and Contador gifted his chances away. In particular, I would like to have seen Contador race all out all the way through the time-trial. I don't know that he would have won, but it would have been more fun to watch.

Biggest disappointments (entire race): None of the pre-race favorites other than Scarponi and Nibali ever tried to attack while the race was still in doubt. Where was Denis Menchov (Geox-TMC) and his three Grand Tour wins? Where was Rodriguez with his overall top ranked rider last year award? Where was Kreuziger who talked all spring of winning the Giro? Where was everyone else? Jose Rujano tried, but was already well behind after losing five minutes on the Strade Bianchi stage during the first week and he can't time-trial. Gadret was a revelation, but he also can't time-trial. Igor Anton (Euskatel) did a good job of getting his stage win and training for his real season goal the Vuelta a Espana. Nibali tried his luck with the descents a couple of times on both the Strade Bianchi stage and the climbfest on stage 15 and Scarponi got up the road a couple of times on both the Grossglockner stage and the stage 15 things, but never enough to threaten Contador. Yes, the overall race was boring, but only because Contador's rivals didn't attack. Had they done so, the margin might have been bigger, but there would have been many more entertaining stages along the way.

Other competitions: The sprinters race (points) is more the domain of GC contenders in a climbing intensive race like this. Contador won it easily, especially after the sprinters who racked up points early went home before the Grossglockner climb (most would have been eliminated by time cut anyway on one of the stages). The King of the Mountains jersey ended up with Stefano Garzelli (Acqua a Sapone). Garzelli, a former Giro winner riding his last Giro, took the cash bonus for summiting the Cimi Coppi (highest point in the race) first during his time in the breakaway on stage 15 and while he didn't win the stage, it gave him a big lead to protect in the mountain competition that he never relinquished. In the youn rider competition (best 25 and under), Krueziger was the man on it. He held the jersey from the early stages and was only threatened at the very end by Steven Kruiswijk (Rabobank).

Other notes: Contador's hearing for doping relating to his positive test for Clenbuterol at the Tour de France was pushed back again, allowing him to start the Tour de France. Interestingly, the top 11 riders on the final GC represented 11 different teams before a second Ag2r-La Mondiale rider (Herbert Dupont) appears. Normally, a dometisque of one of the top racers finishes in the top ten of most stage races (see Nibali's third to teammate Ivan Basso last year and the 1-2 finish of Radioshack riders Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer in the recent Tour of California). Of the 207 riders to start the race, 159 reached the finish in Milan. Jos Van Emden was last overall finishing nearly five hours behind Contador.

What's next for the peloton? For many, national championships in road racing and the time-trial are happening now. That comes with the opportunity to wear your country's jersey while racing for the winners. For the rest, its either rest time until later in the season, or its preparation for the Tour de France, starting July 2. For some prep will be more training while for others, prep will be racing in Tour de Luxembourg (starting Wednesday), the Criterium du Dauphine in France (starting June 5) or the Tour de Suisse (that's Switzerland for those who don't know) starting June 11.

Cycling on aubievegas: Next up cycling wise will be the Tour de France starting July 2 with daily reports like what I wrote here. I hope you'll join me.

Giro d'Italia Daily Stage 16 – Contador continues to incinerate the field

Today's stage: A short, steep mountain time-trial

Who won the stage? Overall leader Alberto Contador won the stage by 34 seconds. The 34 second gap was the largest between any two riders except the last two finishers.

What matters in the GC race? Other than Contador confirming his dominance again, third overall Vincenzo Nibali was second and second overall Michele Scarponi was third. Both look solid for the podium in Milan on Sunday and both are most likely the only ones who can keep Contador's winning advantage under 10 minutes.

Biggest surprise: The sheer margin from Contador. He is obviously the strongest man and could possibly win a few more stages this wee and the time-trial. I had expected someone to match him or at least come close in a time-trial where Contador was unable to see his rivals on the road.

Biggest disappointment: Nothing still out of Denis Menchov. Menchov won the Giro in 2009 (without Contador in the race) and has three Grand Tour victories to his credit, but he has not even looked like much of a contender at all despite his standing in seventh place.

Other items of note: Many of the main flat time-trial specialists were happy to see this stage and were using it as training for the time-trial to finish the race on Sunday in Milan. Team Radioshack (Armstrong's former team) had their hotel raided by Italian authorities looking for doping paraphanelia. Nothing was found.

What is coming tomorrow? A lighter climbing day followed by a big technical descent. Paging Vincenzo Nibali. Nibali has said he is racing for the win and not second place. He won't win, but this is a chance to back up what he has been saying on a course that suits him.

Any GC changes tomorrow? Nothing significant. Nibali could get his stage win. That is about it. Only a crash on the descent at the end has any chance to change anything.

Giro d'Italia Daily Stage Report

Yesterday was stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia and the final stage of the Tour of California. Both are covered here.

The stages: In Italy it was a psychotic climbing day with five climbs taking over 7.5 hours while in California, it was a rolling hilly stage to a sprint finish to complete the race.

Who won the stages? In Italy, Mikel Nieve was part of a big early breakaway, took the lead on the final climb and held on to win the stage as the GC contenders closed down the gap. In California, matt Goss won his first race since taking Milan-San Remo in the expected sprint.

GC news? In Italy, Alberto Contador extended his lead further and Michele Scarponi moved into second place after Igor Anton lacked legs after the win on Monte Zoncolan yesterday and Vincenzo Nibali attacked on a descent and wore himself out enough that he cracked twice. In California, Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer completed their 1-2 finish in the race.

Biggest surprise: Contador's team still didn't do any work. Of course that is because they all faded early in the stage along with every other non-lite climber who wasn't in the breakaway. The stage was just ridiculous in its difficulty.

Biggest disappointment: Contador appears to have a deal worked out with the Spanish team to help him since his team since to be unwilling or unable to help him. As soon as Nibali got away on the descent, Contador sent Movistar team leader David Arroyo, himself well placed on the GC in the top 10, to the front to work for him. The Italian teams plus Contador's former team at Astana all need to band together or we could be looking at a 10 minute gap come the finish on Sunday.

Other items of note: Kudos to Scarponi and Nibali for at least trying to attack, something none of the other GC rivals (except Joaquim Rodriguez who obviously doesn't have the legs right now) can say. Nieve was the leader of the race on the road at one point when the breakaway was 10 minutes ahead. Nieve's stage win made it two days in a row for the Euskatel team after having never won a Giro stage before this year.

What is coming tomorrow? More pain. Mountain time-trial. Good luck to those remaining non-climber in the race. You are likely to need it to stay within the time cut.

Any GC changes tomorrow? Lots. Contador will still lead, but I expect Nibali to put in a good ride and possibly move back into second over Scarponi. Denis Menchov, placed in the back of the top 10, is a threat for the stage win and a possible move to the top five overall.

Giro d'Italia Daily Stage 14 – Anton wins stage as fans blow gasket

Today's stage: The climb up Monte Zoncolan. Nothing more with the Monte Crostis climb eliminated and fans blocking the replacement Tualis climb in protest of the elimination of Crostis.

Who won the stage? Igor Anton attacked up the Zoncolan and won the stage fairly easily over race leader Alberto Contador and second place Vincenzo Nibali.

What matters in the GC race? Contador continued to extend his lead. Nibali remains second while Anton has a good shot at overtaking Nibali or remaining on the podium in third.

Biggest surprise: Anton was able to get away from Contador and make it stick. That likely won't happen again.

Biggest disappointment: No Crostis. The fans protested and the race was most certainly made easier for Contador. While I can understand the trepidation over the descent off of Crostis, this should have been taken care of months ago and those who forced its removal the night before the stage should be be ashamed. Where was this outcry months ago? Where was this outcry on the rest day Monday when the riders were shown the safety measures put in place and approved it? All we have now is a race where nobody except the Sporting Directors who want total control of everything and forced this change and race-leader Contador, who didn't have to defend himself on two major climbs, are happy.

Other items of note: Fans booed everyone all day and the writing on the roads protested the removal of Crostis. Meanwhile in California (where I was too sick to go as planned), Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner were the best men and took advantage of having the best team, blowing up the race up Mt. Baldy to seal a 1-2 Tour of California finish.

What is coming tomorrow? Another summit finish after five climbs. This is yet another killer stage and another chance for Contador to put time into his rivals.

Any GC changes tomorrow? Anton could pass Nibali for second. Other than that, not much. The race will remain in a similar order to how we start, maybe with bigger time gaps. If there is a day where having a terrible day could hurt Contador, this is it.

Giro d'Italia Daily Stage 13 – Contador blows the field up, again

Today's stage: A climb fest ending on Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner.

Jose Rujano celebrates his victory
while Alberto Contador follows him in.
Photo courtesy velonews.competitor.com

Who won the stage? Jose Rujano of the Androni Giocattoli team was able to stay with race leader Alberto Contador and was gifted the stage win by the stronger Contador after helping him extend his overall lead over the main contenders.

What matters in the GC race? Contador now leads by over three minutes. Barring something insane happening, this race is over even with the killer climbs remaining. Contador can now likely survive a bad day and still win the race. Vincenzo Nibali is now second, a position where he will likely finish considering he is the favorite on stage 17, a mountain stage with a descent finish, and the time trial where he figures to be strong. Michele Scarponi remains just four seconds behind Nibali for second place.

Biggest surprise: Contador attacked today. Considering this was thought to be a breakaway stage with the GC men sitting out waiting for the killer stage (more on that later) tomorrow, the favorite and race leader was considered among the least likely to attack.

Biggest disappointment: Other teams did all the work in chasing down the breakaway giving Contador an incentive to attack for the time bonus. Not much could be done about Contador's dominance so far. He has been that good. Even so, this has been a pathetic tactical race by the race of the field and they are paying for it every time the road turns mountainous.

Other items of note: The epic Monte Zoncolan stage tomorrow will be a little less epic after the controversial and dangerous Monte Crostis climb was removed from the race route after racing finished today. Oddly, it was not for safety concerns, but for competition concerns. The UCI (a bunch of morons governing a sport if there ever was one) forced the change because of the inability for team cars to get onto the pass in the event of mechanical failures. Oh really. Tom Boonen would like his chance to win Paris-Roubaix back then considering he flatted in the Arnberg Trench where team cars are not allowed and never caught the main filed again. Dropped for safety fine. The descent of Monte Crostis is stupid dangerous. For competition reasons you have to be kidding me. Meanwhile in California, Dave Zabriskie won the Solvang Time Trial at the Tour of California and Chris Horner had his lead chopped by Levi Leipheimer. I will be at tomorrow's queen stage climb up Mount Baldy so expect a longer Tour of California entry tomorrow.

What is coming tomorrow? Monte Zoncolan. Even without Crostis, Zoncolan is a fearsome proposition. It is a beast of a climb where time gaps can be absolutely huge.

Any GC changes tomorrow? Contador will still lead. Behind him is anybody's guess. All positions are up for grabs on one of the most difficult climbs in Europe. Chris Fontecchio on podiumcafe says the climb is hard to describe without using profanity. And that's before you realize there are gravel sections too. I expect Contador to retain his top spot and Nibali to remain second since he does a good job of not overriding and cracking on climbs. The rest, who the heck knows? All I know is the top ten will likely look very different tomorrow night.

Giro d'Italia Daily Stage 12 – Cavendish leaves the Giro a winner

Today's stage: A long, flat stage designed to end in a sprint finish to allow the sprinters who dared to turn up an opportunity before the real mountains begin.

Who won the stage? Mark Cavendish repeated his stage 10 sprint victory following a perfect leadout from his HTC-Highroad team.

What matters in the GC race? Nothing. This was a pure sprint stage where the only goal of GC contenders was to not crash.

Biggest surprise: Nothing. This stage went exactly to predicted form. Early breakaway would form and build lead. Race leader Alberto Contador's Saxo Bank team would decline to chase. Sprint favorite Cavendish's HTC-Columbia team would take the cahse up and catch the sprinters in the latter portion of the stage. Cavendish or Lampre sprinter Alessandro Petacchi would win the stage. Ho hum and that is exactly what happened.

Biggest disappointment: That nothing out of the predicted stage from the previous paragraph happened.

Other items of note: Cavendish, Petacchi and many of the other sprinters are dropping out of the race and won't start tomorrow. With every remaining stage either a high mountain, medium mountain or time trial, there is no reason for the sprinters to remain. Only Petacchi as the points leader has any reason at all and he lacks the lead large enough to matter in part because of the neutralization of stage 4. In California, Peter Sagan of the Liquigas-Cannondale team won a sprint into Paso Robles after three-time world champion Oscar Friere was caught from his position in the breakaway in the final three km. Chris Horner remains in the overall lead in the Tour of California.

Hairpin turn on the Grossglockner Alpine road. Yikes.

What is coming tomorrow? Grossglockner. Elevation 7011 ft. Four other climbs as well. The mountains are really here and they will be staying for awhile (the rest of the race save the final time trial).

Any GC changes tomorrow? Possible. Contador might attack and might not. Nobody is really sure. Somebody else very well may attack too. Nobody knows in part because the even more imposing Monte Zoncolan in Saturday.

Giro d'Italia Daily Stages 10 and 11

The Giro d'Italia is one of cycling three Grand Tours. It is airing daily on Universal Sports through May 29 and during the race daily recaps can be found here on this blog.

Due to scheduling, I will be covering the last two days stages today in one post.

The stages: Stage 10 was a sprint stage without much in the way of hills while stage 11 was a transitional stage built for possible breakaway's with lots of rolling hills and short climbs.

Cavendish sprints out to the Stage 10 win.

Who won the stages? Mark Cavendish, the best sprinter in the world, won stage 10 in a bunch sprint beating previous stage winners Francisco Ventoso and Alessandro Petacchi after the breakaway was reeled in under 10 km from the finish. John Gadret surprisingly attacked on the finishing hill in stage 11 to take the win over Joaquim Rodriguez in an entertaining stage marked by overall contender Christope le Mevel being in the breakaway.

What matters in the GC race? Contador seems to be willing to drop the pink jersey for a while to avoid the pressure of defending it. At least that is what allowing Le Mevel to get in the break and stay away for awhile would seem to indicate. I would also wager that this shows Contador doesn't really fear him. At the same time, Vincenzo Nibali attempted to get in a breakaway and Contador's Saxo Bank team immediately chased him down.

Biggest surprises: None on stage 10. Le Mevel being in the break was a surprise, but nothing like Gadret's attack and stage victory. Gadret is a pretty good climber with the capability to win these stages, but attacking the way he did has not been in his repertoire.

Biggest disappointments: Nothing. Everybody has pretty much ridden to form the last two days. Maybe that Saxo Bank is not really working at the front of the field to keep things in check, but that is just for those who want a closer race.

Other items of note: There was a moment of silence both at the Giro d'Italia and the Tour of California for Wouter Weylandt, killed last week in a crash during Stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia. Today was the funeral. In California, Chris Horner of Team Radioshack took the race lead riding away from the field on the final climb. Weylandt teammate and Tour de France favorite Andy Schleck was second there.

What is coming tomorrow? The most flatly pancaked stage I have ever seen at the Giro d'Italia. If the sprinters don't control and win this stage, they screwed up royally.

Any GC changes tomorrow? Don't make me laugh. Only if there is a big crash involving a favorite.

Giro d'Italia Daily – Rest Day Notes

The presence of Contador: Alberto Contador is still under doping investigation. He might be the race leader and he is likely racing clean right now, but his clenbuterol test from the Tour de France is still out there and his non-suspension is still under appeal from both the UCI (cycling's governing body) and WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency). Most realize the reason he is racing the Giro d'Italia is that he may not be able to start the Tour de France because of a decision on the appeal is due between the end of the Giro and the beginning of the Tour. Sadly, this could also mean vacated results. I bring this up because it changes the race entirely. If Contador's results are likely to be vacated, does it make any sense to try and keep up with his superhuman accelerations? I know if I can't beat him and there is a good chance his results will be expunged from the record book, I am marking everyone else while letting him attack, much like the main GC favorites other than Scarponi did on the Mount Etna stage. Just bringing the pint up, nothing more.

Safety matters: We have two different approaches to safety being taking at the major races right now after Wouter Weylandt's death last week. At the Tour of California, we had Stage 1 in the snow canceled and stage 2 significantly changed because of safety concerns with the snow fall. At the same time, the Giro is sending its cyclist down an absolutely crazy descent later this week that many riders voicing concerns about before Weylandt's crash. Below is a video of part of the descent and I really can't believe they think adding some padding and nets is really going to do much if someone overcooks a turn on this thing. Hopefully, we have no problems with the crazy descent and can just enjoy that day of racing on Saturday.

Is the GC over? Contador has a big lead. I don't know that its over though since we've never seen so much climbing in a race. Tactically, the other contenders need to change it up and likely work together to try to weaken Contador in the mountains. Normally, early attacks are not a good idea, but waiting until the last mountain is just dumb against Contador because he rests the whole day in the peloton and then unleashes his trademark acceleration when it is necessary. Something different really needs to be done. Of the remaining contenders, the only one who can afford to wait is Vincenzo Nibali, and that is because he is a good time trialist (might can beat Contador on either the flat or the mountain time trial). That said, he can't afford any more time losses though I also expect a stage win from him in week three on the stage that finishes at the end of a descent. Nibali is one of the best descenders in the entire peloton.

Tomorrow's Stage: A sprint stage for certain tomorrow. The sprinters haven't had a tone of chances and the mountains only get worse from here. Tomorrow is one of the few remaining days left for the sprinters and the rest day should mean their teams have strong legs to chase down breakaways.

Any GC changes tomorrow: None. No chance. Even if a breakaway somehow sticks, nobody is making any big time gains.

Giro d'Italia Stage 9 – Contador's eruption blows field apart

The Giro d'Italia is one of three Grand Tours on the cycling calendar. It is airing daily on Universal Sports through May 29 and during the race daily recaps can be found here on this blog.

Today's Stage: A double climb up Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano and the first major mountain test of this year's Giro.

Alberto Contador gives his trademark pistol salute at the finish of his Giro d'Italia Stage 9 win.
Photo courtesy of universalsports.com

Who won today's stage? Alberto Contador attacked halfway up the finishing climb to Mount Etna and gobbled up the breakaway and everyone else on his way to the stage victory and the race lead.

What matters in the GC race? Contador took the lead and very well might have won the whole thing today. Nobody has the legs to stay with him or the attacking talent he has. Only a crash or a terrible off day where Contador cracks will stop him now. As it turns out, yesterday's fears of a totally in form Contador appear to have come true. Former leader Peter Weening dropped off the front of the lead group not long before the Contador attack and dropped to to 32^nd overall, likely to not be heard from again in this race unless he gets himself in a breakaway. Favorites Joaquim Rodriguez and Denis Menchov cracked, surrendering over three minutes each. Especially for Rodriguez, this means a race of stage hunting only as he is an awful time trialist.

Biggest surprise of the day: The other GC favorites let Contador attack first. Unless you can stay with his superhuman accelerations (Andy Schleck and nobody else), the only way to even consider stopping Contador when he is at full strength is to attack him constantly and never give him any help. The other GC favorites, most of who do not race against Contador at the Tour de France, did not realize this and paid for it, dearly.

Biggest disappointment of the day: Not only did hometown riding Vincenzo Nibali not have anything for Contador, he was unable dislodge anyone else and surrendered the eight second time bonus for thrid place as well.

Other items of note: Michele Scarponi put in a brilliant effort to stay with Contador's first attack but was unable to stay with him when he unleashed another attack. The Contador of this race looked a lot more like the Contador of 2007-2009 than the 2010 version that was nearly beaten by Schleck at the Tour de France.

What is coming tomorrow? Rest day tomorrow before getting back to racing on Tuesday.

Other cycling news: The rest of the peloton that is not in Italy is at the Tour of California where the opening stage in the mountains was snowed out. Brief updates about that race, airing daily on Versus, will be found here through the finish of that race on Sunday.

Giro d'Italia Daily Stage 8 - The final respite before the big mountains.

The Giro d'Italia is one of three Grand Tours on the cycling calendar. It is airing daily on Universal Sports through May 29 and during the race daily recaps can be found here on this blog.

Today's Stage: A transitional stage (flat or small rolling hills) going south toward tomorrow's big volcano stage on Mount Etna.

Who won today's stage? Oscar Gatto or the Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli (good luck saying or typing that) team attacked on the late hill to win a stage that appeared to be headed to a bunch sprint.

What matters in the GC race? Peter Weening continued to hold his slim lead for the leader's pink jersey. More importantly, race favorite Alberto Contador attacked after Gatto and finished second on the stage, gaining five seconds on all his rivals plus a 12 second time bonus for second place on the stage. He moves to fifth overall and first among the pre-race favorites.

Biggest surprise of the day: Contador's attack. None of the favorites gave it a go yesterday on a mountain finish and most were expected to be saving energy for Mount Etna tomorrow. Contador's attack caught everyone off guard allowing him to take a few precious seconds.

Biggest disappointment of the day: Nobody went with Contador. I hope it was everyone else being caught of guard. If not, Contador is going to win this race easily.

Other items of note: Alessandro Petacchi won the bunch sprint for third to consolidate his lead in the points competition before the mountains.

What is coming tomorrow?

Mount Etna, Giro d'Italia Stage 9, Thanks to podiumcafe.com for the picture

That little road you see on the picture there is the road for tomorrow's stage.

Any GC changes tomorrow? Weening is toast at the top of the leaderboard (though I said that a couple of days ago). The favorites should be in attacking form for the stage up and down and up the volcano again. There is a possibility of a total reshuffle in the race top 10 as the race really begins tomorrow.